That Dark Empty Place
by lostinonlyyou
Summary: Jade, Tori, and Cat decide to embark on an adventure to explore an abandoned mansion. Jori in the making.
1. Chapter 1

**Jade:** Going to go explore a creepy abandoned mansion this weekend. Anyone wanna come?

**Tori:** Sounds fun! Is it legal?

**Jade:** Uh…yeah?

—

A few hours later, Jade had pulled up to the Vega residence. She was honestly surprised that Tori'd even had the guts to come along. Cat was in the backseat texting away for coupons again. She kept excitedly murmuring on about random new inventions that really had no use to anyone. Remember that tennis ball cleaner? Jade scoffed silently. That girl would spend away her parent's lifesavings on worthless junk. She shook her head. Her thoughts shifted as she heard steps and turned to see a certain brunette bounding down the driveway, messenger bag in tow.

Game time, Jade smiled.

—

"So where is this place?" Tori asked about a half hour onto the freeway. She could only take Cat's perky yapping for so long. As much as she clashed with Jade, she could tell the goth girl felt the same way. Looking out the window, she could see the colorful buildings of her old neighborhood pass by. Her previous school. Her old park. I wonder what they're like now, she pondered. It's been years. Tori tore her mind away from those thoughts as Jade answered.

"It's near Shadow Creek Park." Jade said nonchalantly, not taking her eyes off the road.

"Oh. Uhh is that even safe?" Tori's voice struggled to remain steady.

She remembered the last time she'd been near that place. Where Jade's attempted murder had taken place. She had hiked more than ten miles back to school just to escape her wrath. She was honestly questioning her own sanity as she repeated the same scenario over again. But at least Cat was here too, right? She glanced over her shoulder just to make sure. Not that the redhead would offer much protection.

"Sure.."

—

More than an hour passed before the car creaked slowly onto a dirt road infested with weeds. Tori could have sworn she saw something skitter out of the corner of her eye. It was hard to tell because of all the green habitation around. The claw-like tree branches would scrape against the car's windows now and again. Needless to say, Tori was scared shitless, again.

"Hey guys—" She started to say before she saw what was up ahead. The dark building loomed up and she was mesmerized for a few moments. She heard Cat finally beginning to stir in the backseat. She had fallen asleep a good while ago. The velvet-haired girl rubbed her eyes before staring in wonder at the ominous mansion. Even though she had just woken up, she was still perky, if not a little bit hesitant about the place.

"YAY, we're here!" Cat exclaimed. Tori didn't think she was awake enough to realize, or fear, the extent of the situation. This place was in the middle of nowhere and it was massive. Dark shadows flittered across the yard resting here and there on pillars and stone columns. Broken statues were scattered around what appeared to be an old fountain. The house itself though, was beautiful.

After Jade pulled to a stop, the girls stepped out the vehicle and began treading towards it, or in Cat's case, scampering towards it. It wasn't until they got closer that Tori finally started to absorb it's full glory.

It looked about three stories tall. Columns lining the Victorian-style front. Windowsills varnished with cobwebs but underneath you could tell it had been a lush creamy hue in its prime. The front doors were a deep set mahogany with small glass windows and an iron handle door knocker. There was an image of a crow engraved with initials on the metal. Not that it mattered, because the place had been abandoned for years. Their only obstacle was a few boards and nails that Jade expertly maneuvered out of the way with the help of her hammer.

Sometimes it's a good thing having her around, Tori admitted to herself.

—

"Whoa, look at this place." Jade breathed. She felt completely in her element as she brought in her surroundings. A grand marble staircase rose above them as they inched their way into the house. She glanced around and saw that there were also steps on the side leading to different areas of the house. There were a few pieces of large furniture that decorated the interior, all covered in plastic and coated with a sheen of dust.

"Jade..are you sure this is okay?" Cat shivered, her nerves finally catching up to her.

"Yeah yeah just stick with me." Jade absentmindedly dismissed her and wandered to a side corridor. She assumed this would lead to a kitchen or living room. She had honestly forgotten to check the full backstory to this place. Something about a woman who died, leaving her daughter with the estate. Apparently the daughter was in a coma or something and had never gotten around to selling the place. Either way, the place was abandoned and the world was her oyster.

A noise jolted her out of her recollections. She turned to see Tori on the floor, shaking like mad. Glass from what used to be a vase was shattered around her.

"God, Vega. It's been less than five minutes."

"Sorry to spoil your fun with my injury." Tori glared.

"It was an accident!" Cat defended her.

"Yeah yeah, you bleeding?" Jade asked. As much as she wanted to revel in Tori's despair, she wasn't actually that cruel. Once in a while, she would find her emotional walls crumbling and her inner voice peeking through. That insipid inner voice that told her to be nice to Vega. For whatever reason.

"I'm fine." Tori grumbled in response.

"Good, I think the kitchen's coming up. Let's see what kind of vermin is living in this dump."

—

"Jade, I think I saw a mouse. Can we go now?" Cat asked, with hope in her voice. Her excitement had quickly run out as soon as she realized there weren't actually games and other people here like Jade had promised. It was just like that time she thought Jade and Beck were having a closet party but it ended up just being another fight that made her faint. Sometimes Jade could be really mean! She did feel bad for her sometimes though. Ever since Jade and Beck broke up, Jade had been trying to go on as many "adventures" and outings as possible. Even though Cat was a little bit slow, she could still tell that Jade was trying to get over her pain. So she went along with her ideas.

Never having been in such a long relationship, Cat couldn't really imagine what Jade was feeling. The last time she'd had her heart broken, she'd punched Tori in retaliation. For kissing her boyfriend, of course. Isn't that how all girls got over a break up?

—

"No, Cat." Jade was growing tired of her current disposition and decided to leave the kitchen and enter one of the hallways. The hallway appeared dank and dark with only a small ray of sunlight cast from a single rounded window at the end of the hallway."Hey Vega..Tori! Where you at?"

Tori finally appeared behind her, rubbing her arms as if she were freezing. "This place creeps me out."

"Why?" Jade entertained her question. As if this place wasn't the greatest place on earth. It reminded her of her favorite slasher film: The Scissoring. She smiled, reminiscing as she saw that Cat was standing behind Tori, clutching onto the edge of Tori's sweater, quivering quietly. It looked like a scene straight out of the movie. The pretty girl dies first, Jade grinned to herself. They were slowly making their way down the hallway as Tori continued.

"I used to have all these horrible dreams. I'd be wandering around this huge dark house and then all of a sudden I'd stumble upon my "friends". They'd all be gathered in a circle surrounding something. As I stepped closer, I realized it was my body on the floor. Dead body. And they wouldn't even do anything. They would just stare. Sometimes they would even kick it or drag it off and dump it somewhere. I think a therapist would say that that's how I view the way people treat me. They just don't care. They never have. That's why I was so surprised when I made it into Hollywood Arts. For the first time, people actually appreciated me for something."

"Aww Tori.." Cat whispered.

"Wow…..um that is one whackjob dream, Vega."

"Jade!" Cat reprimanded.

"Sorry, but it is. You have to admit that that's a little out there. Even for you, Vega. I did like the part about the dead body though."

"Forget it." Tori stormed off with no notion of where she was going. She just wanted to get out of there. Fast. Before her memories got the best of her. Her footsteps echoed sharply behind her.

Cat glared at Jade.

"Whaat?" Jade grew puzzled. Sometimes Tori overreacted over the weirdest shit.

"You hurt her feelings."

"What else is new?"

Cat continued glaring.

Even though she looked as menacing as a kitten, Jade knew she was right.

"Fine. I'll be back. Try not to move. Ughh."

—

Jade finally found Tori upstairs in what appeared to be a bedroom. There was a tall window to the side with a glimpse of a tree branch hanging outside. It cast ominous shadows around the room. The sound of rain began pitter-pattering against the sill. The walls were lined with torn floral wallpaper. There was dust lining the edges of the vanity mirror on the side of the room. A plastic sheet covered a queen-sized bed on the opposite side. Tori was huddled on the edge of the bed staring at her reflection in the mirror. Jade cautiously approached her before sitting down beside her.

"Look Vega..I'm sorry I made fun of your dumb dream. It's just that.."

"They used to call me all sorts of things, you know." Tori didn't turn to look at Jade. "Ugly. Stupid. Untalented. Too big. Too small. I was never good enough." And all you do is serve as another reminder, Tori thought silently.

"You? Too big?" scoffed Jade.

"Everybody has insecurities, Jade." Tori's eyes slowly began watering, but she held her gaze. She shifted awkwardly with her hands gliding over the vanity's wooden veneer, instantly regretting opening up to Jade. Such an amateur mistake, she sighed.

"Yeah well, the world has opinions." Jade stood up brushing off her jeans. "You just gotta brush them off your shoulders."

"..Did Jade West just say something nice to me?" Tori asked suspiciously. There was barely a hint of a smile on the corners of her lips though.

Jade smirked in reply. "Come on. Let's go find Cat before she falls into a toilet or breaks a bone. That redhead ain't nothing but trouble."

—

While Jade was gone, Cat decided to muster up some courage. Mainly because she really really had to pee. So she wandered around the hallway for a bit. She'd picked up Jade's hammer for protection. She wasn't sure what she'd do with it considering there wasn't supposed to be anyone here and you couldn't exactly fight ghosts right? Regardless, she was inching her way down tapping on walls, humming a little tune to herself. Finally, she opened up a door and found what she was looking for. Even though the bathroom was stale and dusty, it served its purpose. Thankfully, the plumbing was still in use. After flushing, Cat went to rinse her hands and wash her face in the mirror. This place wasn't too bad, she thought. Just a little smelly. She crinkled her nose to prove her point.

She stood there in front of her reflection then decided to sit down on the closed toilet seat for a moment thinking about the two girls that she'd come with. Tori tried so hard to be nice to Jade but all Jade ever did was hurt her. She knew that they'd had their differences but even Jade had never been as mean to anyone as she was to Tori. Maybe they were harboring some feelings that they were just too afraid to talk about? Hmmm. Cat pondered. I wonder if My Little Pony is on right now.

—

"CAT?!" Cat…" Jade and Tori had finally made their way downstairs. The house was so huge, they had accidentally taken the wrong staircase on the opposite end and were now blindly searching for the redhead.

"Ugh great. I hope she's okay." Tori mumbled. "That girl can barely go to the bathroom by herself. Why'd you leave her alone?"

"I was trying to be nice for your sake. Jesus. How many times must I apologize today?"

"Forget it, Jade. Let's just keep looking."

"Fine."

"And Jade?"

"What?"

"Thanks."

—

Cat was still in the bathroom. She figured it'd be safer and easier to be found there rather then wandering around the big empty house. Then she remembered she'd brought snacks! She dug around in her purse before settling on some graham crackers. As she chewed, she couldn't help but remember all the secretly nice things Jade had done for Tori. Seriously though, was she missing her favorite kid's show? She sighed. Oh yeah. All those nice things Jade did. Even though she grumbled about Tori getting the lead in every play, sometimes Cat would catch her smiling or clapping when the show was over. Oh and that Christmas present Jade helped Tori with! That was so much fun. Jade used to be the best at everything before Tori'd arrived. It was honestly really boring before. Tori made everything much more funner. Was funner a word? Oh well. Cat chewed happily before taking out her phone to make more purchases. No signal? Oh phooey.

—

"Try calling her." Jade demanded.

"I am. No bars. See." Tori waved her phone in front of the raven-haired girl's face. Jade snatched her wrist and shoved her aside.

"Ow!" Tori responded with a grimace. "Can we take a break?"

They'd been at it for twenty minutes. Where the hell was that girl? Tori finally decided to step into a room and rest on one of the covered recliners in there. Before she sat down, she'd taken a quick glance around the room. There was a fireplace on one side and a huge bookcase on the other end. Jade begrudgingly followed, sighed, and sat on the armrest, picking at her cuticles.

"You take the fun out of everything, Vega. You know that?"

"How so?" Tori was fidgeting in her chair searching on the side of it for..something. Jade didn't know nor care what.

"You just do. It's annoying as hell with your constant whining." And your perfect hair and face and voice. And you don't even know it. You take everything for granted. Jade felt bad for the girl and her history but honestly it made her want to slap her and make her realize her worth. A million girls would kill to have the talent and looks that she had.

Tori finally found what she was looking for and Jade felt a sharp jerk as the footrest of the chair popped out. Before Jade could stop herself, she'd fallen into Tori's lap.

* * *

_Author's note: The update schedule is going to be tentative. Hope you enjoy it! Reviews would be wonderful._


	2. Chapter 2

Green eyes pierced into her own chestnut orbs. Tori struggled to gain control but found herself surrendering. Breaths hitched. Fingers exploring newfound areas. Their faces moved closer and closer until..

—

"Tori, snap out of it!" Jade was standing beside her in the main corridor of Hollywood Arts next to her embellished "Make it Shine" locker. What the hell is going on with her lately? Jade thought. Ever since they took that trip together, she was acting all kinds of weird. "Our script is due tomorrow and you're not even going to offer any more annoying suggestions?" With Tori's unusual silence as a response, the raven-haired girl shrugged and began to retreat back to her locker. Tori watched her go, still unable to form a sentence. She watched the other girl walk away, clad in all black, a skirt and tights completed by a three-quarter sleeved sweater. It was the same outfit she'd always worn and yet today, Tori saw it differently.

Shutting her locker, she took a deep breath and began to approach Jade, only to be encumbered by another presence. She quickly turned around and began walking to class. There was no way she was getting into the middle of that.

—

Beck Oliver looked at his former-girlfriend impatiently.

"Jade..we need to talk about this."

"Nothing to talk about."

The boy ran his fingers through his dark brown locks. He was verging on exasperation,which was rare for his temperament. "I don't know how many times I have to say it. I'm sorry okay? It was wrong of me to say those things. I was just trying to move on."

"Yeah, well then let's do that. Let's move on."

Go live out your fantasy with little Miss Perfect, she almost added. Jade turned away and began shuffling through her locker preparing her bag with the essentials. Today was just starting out great..she thought, bitterly. She was putting towards an effort, trying to be civil to everyone. Honestly. But they just wanted so much out of her lately. This was why she never let down her walls. Once you open up , they expect that same behavior constantly. Ever since the Platinum Music Awards, when Jade saw the almost-kiss occur through Tori's webcam..she'd been fighting an internal battle.

On the one side, she blamed herself for being such a gank to Beck, but on the other, she realized that he was never going to truly love her the way she was. He was always criticizing her approach to situations. He'd even gone so far as to insult her in front of Tori. Lately, she always had to try so hard to win his approval. It took giving up her spot at the award show just to have him to respond to her civilly again. Frankly, she was exhausted. Jade had let it slip quite some time ago to Tori that she'd seen how she'd refused Beck and she was thankful for her newfound friendship. At least, she could be herself around one person. Nevertheless a nagging insecurity always made itself prevalent when it came to those two. Although, Tori did repeatedly express that her loyalty lied in Jade..

"Come on, Jade. I don't really like Tori that way. It was just that—"

Jade didn't wait until he finished. Almost on cue, the first warning bell before class rang out. She calmingly shut her locker and strutted to class, not even bothering to glance back at the chaos she'd left behind.

—

Tori sat in the back of class, knawing on the end of her pencil, deep in thought. It was math class and after finishing the warm-up exercise she'd found herself gazing out the window. A yawn escaped her as she lethargically rested her cheek into her palm. Those recent memories at the mansion never seemed to elude her conscience. Especially during those vulnerable points in the day when she had little more to ponder. She couldn't help but recollect the way Jade had fallen into her lap and instinctly put both hands out to break the fall but had wound up embracing her instead. Her long legs had sprawled out over her lap onto the edge of the opposite armrest. The way Jade had gazed into her eyes. For a split second, Tori thought she saw something else there.

Desire perhaps? Fear? It certainly wasn't anything close to the mask of anger Jade so famously wore around her. The entire incident had taken place within less than a minute before Jade had immediately recovered and gathered her footing. While standing up, Jade had left Tori with another one of those seductive smirks before landing a kiss on her cheek. Tori was left with her mouth agape in shock as the other girl lightly bounded out of the room. She was good at that, bringing unpredictability into what was perceived to be Tori's perfect little world.

—

Images began to blur together as the wetness on her cheeks began to seep into her reality. Dark ebony-colored hair, brilliant green eyes and an almost maniacal expression gazed back at her through the glass. Jade had never felt so conflicted. She didn't know why she did the things she did..she pushed people away in hopes that they would come back to prove their affection, but she knew that that wouldn't be the case if she continued with her standard methods. Especially Beck. But the truth was, she wasn't even sure if she wanted Beck back anymore. Her emotions had invested themselves into other whereabouts and it was wrenching her heart into turmoil. It had all begun with her stupid quest to get over that boy. Well the plan had worked, in a way. She sharply inhaled and withdrew her breath before adjusting her makeup. The bathroom was empty for a short time before lunch officially started, giving Jade just enough time to prepare herself to meet her companions at the table. You were only supposed to play the game Jade, not lose yourself in it.

—

"Hey little Red!" Andre scooted comfortably next to the velvet-haired girl seated at their usual table in the Asphalt Cafe. Cat had been the first one there and she was happily pretending to feed her stuffed purple giraffe some lettuce. "What's going on?"

Cat chirped out a greeting before delving back into her fantasy. A moment later, Robbie sat down on the other side of the girl. "Hey guys. So I ordered a burger with no pickles and Festus put extra pickles in it..again. I'm beginning to think he does it on purpos-"

"Man, no one cares!" His ever present puppet was hollering at its own master. Again.

Rex and Robbie proceeded to bicker about Robbie's personality flaws for a few minutes, before Andre interrupted.

"So Cat, I saw your guys' status on the Slap. How was the trip? And how is Tori even alive after going somewhere with Jade?"

"Oh um..that." Cat nervously shifted and began munching on her salad again, eyes darting sporadically avoiding his gaze. "I'm not sure I should say."

"Oh come on..you can tell us." Robbie nudged her gently.

"Yeah..what's the big deal?" shrugged Andre. "Was it that scary?"

"No..it's not that. It's just.." Cat leaned into the musician and covered his ear before whispering.

"OH." Andre's eyes widened. "Okay..well let's just keep that to ourselves then."

* * *

Hey guys, thanks for the reviews and sorry about the wait. By the way, to the person who asked: tentative means unsure. I've been crazy busy at school and on top of that I wasn't sure whether to make this a multi-chapter story or a two-shot. So let me know what you think. Thanks again!


	3. Chapter 3

After gathering up her books, Tori began heading towards the Asphalt Cafe passing by the bathroom for a quick stop. Well, she had assumed it would be quick. As soon as she reached the girls' restroom, the door slammed open and the singer abruptly collided with a familiar brunette. Both girls ended up sprawled on the floor, their supplies strewn about them (as Tori had been holding her textbooks and Jade was in the midst of putting hers away). A distraught expression appeared on Jade's face but quickly dissipated as she gained her footing.

"Oww.." Tori rubbed her forehead, remaining on her spot on the floor, hoping her blurred surroundings were only a temporary symptom.

"Ugh Vega. Should've known it was you."

"Jade?" Tori's vision began to clear up as she stared up from the floor at the curvy figure.

Reflexively, Tori's body tensed up as she prepared to defend herself from an insult but the reaction she received was quite different. Jade was..extending out her hand? Was this a peace offering? Or a trick?

"It was my fault. It's the least I could do." Jade smiled, wryly.

Tori raised her eyebrow. This wasn't like her at all. Tori stared intently at her expression, wondering what had changed in the short time between their trip and the present. She decided she didn't want to chance another opportunity for her own embarrassment and stood up on her own.

"I'm good, thanks."

"Hm." Jade grunted and turned to walk away, her steps echoeing in the empty hallway.

Tori had assumed she was headed towa rds the cafe but the raven-haired one was almost to the school entrance. Before she reached the end, Tori caught up to her and rested her hand on her shoulder.

"Jade..wait." The actress turned to her frenemy with a questioning look. The pallor of her skin was more noticeable than usual to Tori. Actually, now that she thought of it, her emerald eyes were missing that extra spark they usually had. And..were her eyes rimmed with red? Tori knew that asking the wrong questions would only draw her back into a defensive stance, so she decided to put it aside. For now.

"Well?" Jade was tapping her foot impatiently, as Tori mulled over her decision.

"I'm coming with you."

—

"Hey man! What's up." Andre greeted a ruffled-looking Beck. The actor nodded in reply and sat down. His eyes began wandering around as his hands toyed with his plate of fries.

"Yeah..hey have you seen Jade?" The boy's voice was careful and cautious, refusing to yield to his true emotions.

"Nope, but we were actually just talking about them." Robbie answered cheerily.

"What about?" Beck's interest was growing.

"Apparently, some chiz went down at the mansion but only little Cat here can say."

The redhead in question only pretended not to hear them and squeezed her giraffe, staring into the sky.

"Cat.." Beck started. No response. "Cat!"

Beck hated raising his voice but his exhaustion over the last few weeks was taking its toll. Robbie looked alarmed and Andre sat up straighter. They peered at him inquiringly, having never seen him so agitated before..

"What-y" Cat replied, still looking away.

"What happened at the house?"

"I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

"Because..if I do then you and Jade will be weirder than you already are and then Tori will feel bad and then the group will split up and things will happen and.." Cat looked down, her voice quivering as she talked.

"Cat, calm down. Just tell me what happened." Beck's eyes were pleading. "And how does it even involve me?"

"Because.." she whispered.

The wind caught whisps of her velvet-colored hair, framing her face. As she blew them aside, the boys leaned in to hear her. She nervously fidgeted with her hands before she spoke.

"Jade likes someone else."

—

"Can we get five burgers, four corndogs and three sides of chili fries?"

A hefty woman and her flock of children stood in front of Jade and Tori in line at the food stand, located around the corner of school. Jade refused to take Tori to where she had originally planned to go so they'd ended up walking to the park instead for lunch. She'd actually been surprised that the singer had even had enough courage to leave campus. Things were definitely..changing. For better or for worse, she had yet to know.

"What'll it be?" The elderly man taking orders grinned toothily at the girls as they reached their turn.

"Two corndogs and a side of fries. And two drinks." The words slid out of Jade's mouth automatically before she'd even realized. She and Beck had become accustomed to this place on their first few outings together and it'd been habitual for them to order the same thing.

"Unless..Tori. Did you want something else?"

Tori was off to the side, crouched down beside a little girl. "Here you go." Tori smiled, handing her a balloon that had just about escaped her reach. The child squealed in delight before running across the grass back to her mother. Jade couldn't help but smirk. It didn't matter where you brought the singer, she always found a way to make someone's day. Shaking out of her reverie, Jade repeated her question.

Tori bit her lip, looking up as she considered the menu options. Jade eyed her, curiously.

"No..I think I'm alright."

Jade shrugged and paid the cashier and together, they found a spot at one of the outdoor tables near a tree. Meanwhile, Tori couldn't help but think about how there wasn't even a cloud in the sky.

* * *

Sorry for the wait! Hopefully by the end of the month my school schedule will clear up and I'll be able to properly avert my attention to this.

Thank you so much for all the reviews, it means a lot. :)


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